


Soft Stillness and the Night

by otter



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-02
Updated: 2011-09-02
Packaged: 2017-10-23 08:45:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/248419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/otter/pseuds/otter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daniel's hand lay on the bed between them, fingers curled, stretched out as if he'd reached for her in his sleep but not quite made contact. He was still and silent, undisturbed by her nightmare, his mouth just slightly open.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Soft Stillness and the Night

Sam had a dream that the darkness had clawed open her mouth and climbed down her throat, intent on eating her heart. In the dream, the darkness was disappointed to find that she hadn't had a heart to begin with, but it had settled for devouring her lungs.

When she woke up, sucking in breath after breath, everything was still black, even though her eyes were open wide. She nearly panicked, nearly screamed, until she remembered where she was, and thought to turn over.

There. Light from the window, thin cutting slivers of it that slid in through the little cracks and vulnerabilities around the shutters. She bent over, put her head between her knees and forced in steady breaths, in and out, until her heart slowed to a more normal pace and she didn't feel like she might die just from the terror of it. The darkness here was cool and remote, clinging to the walls, and there was nothing in her throat.

Daniel's hand lay on the bed between them, fingers curled, stretched out as if he'd reached for her in his sleep but not quite made contact. He was still and silent, undisturbed by her nightmare, his mouth just slightly open.

The sharp white moonlight from the window painted stripes over his face. She traced them slowly with her fingers, from the dip of the clavicle, along the corded muscles of his neck, to the rough stubble that covered the soft and vulnerable underside of his jaw. She paused to stroke the skin there, from the earlobe to the chin and back again, then continued upward, tracing the sharp border between light and shadow as it rolled over the pale cheek and bisected the carefully groomed eyebrow. She licked her lips and thought about kissing his.

She whispered, "Daniel?" but he didn't stir. So she settled back into bed, a little closer than before, and touched his hand, her fingers ghosting over his knuckles. She traced each blue vein in his wrist, over and over, to lull herself back to sleep, and as she was drifting off she thought that maybe she loved him, more than just a little.

In the morning, the door grated open, and through half-waking she heard the Colonel's voice say, "Christ." Her bare feet were tangled with Daniel's, and her fingertips were still stroking at his wrist, playing the veins like strings on the neck of a cello.

A warm hand touched her shoulder, and the Colonel said, "Carter?"

Her fingers were cold. Daniel's arm was, too. The Colonel wrapped her up in a blanket and pulled her out of bed, apologized when she hissed at the cold stone floor against her bare feet. Teal'c was wrapping Daniel in a blanket, too, but he covered everything up, even Daniel's face. Daniel was still and silent, undisturbed by their nightmare.

The end


End file.
